Philanthropy lives

$350 million to help others

The name Andrew Carnegie is virtually synonymous with philanthropy. Born in Dunfermline in 1835, the son of a weaver, his family moved to the US in 1848 and settled in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. When he was only 13, Carnegie started work in a cotton mill and by the age of 30 he had established his own business enterprises. Eventually he set up the Carnegie Steel Company, which launched the steel industry in Pittsburgh. At 65, he sold the company to JP Morgan for $480 million and devoted the rest of his life to philanthropic activities and writing.

Carnegie was perhaps the first person to state publicly that the rich have a moral obligation to give away some of their fortunes. In 1889 he wrote 'The Gospel of Wealth' in which he asserted that all personal wealth beyond that required to supply the needs of one's family should be regarded as a trust fund to be administered for the benefit of the community.

Carnegie's first large gifts were to his native town. He later created seven philanthropic and educational organizations in the US, including Carnegie Corporation of New York, and several more in Europe. One of his lifelong interests was the establishment of free public libraries to make available to everyone a means of self-education. In 1881, when Carnegie began to promote this idea, there were only a few public libraries in the world. He and the Corporation subsequently spent over $56 million to build 2,509 libraries throughout the English-speaking world – 380 of which were in the UK.

An example of such a library is the Mitchell Library in Glasgow, which is one of the largest public reference libraries in Western Europe. The original Baroque building, opened on 16 October 1911, houses over 400,000 volumes and Carnegie provided half of the building's construction costs which totalled £52,000.

During his lifetime, Carnegie gave away over $350 million. He died in Lennox, Massachusetts on 11 August 1919 and a further $125 million was placed with the Carnegie Corporation to carry on with his work.

Perpetuating a vision

The Andrew Carnegie Medals of Philanthropy were inaugurated on 10 December 2001 by more than 20 of the Carnegie institutions that he established during his lifetime all over the world. The award is given every two years to one or more individuals who have dedicated significant portions of their private wealth to public good and who have sustained an impressive career as a philanthropist. 22 institutions begun by Andrew Carnegie during his lifetime have the responsibility for judging awardees and honouring those chosen for the Medal. Both previous awards ceremonies have been held in the USA and previous winners have included Bill Gates, the Sainsbury family and Ted Turner.

The 2005 winners are His Highness, the Aga Khan; Sir Tom Farmer, Scots billionaire founder of Kwik-Fit; Anna Southall, Chair of the Barrow Cadbury Trust, on behalf of the Cadbury family; Eleanor Hewlett Gimon, on behalf of the Hewlett family; Susan Packard Orr, on behalf of the Packard family and Agnes Gund, Chair of the NY Museum of Modern Art.

The Award Ceremony will be hosted by Scotland's First Minister and will take place in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh on 4 October 2005.

A Scots winner

Sir Tom Farmer, the Edinburgh-based multi-millionaire shares a lot with the 'father of philanthropy'. The 64 year old founder of Kwik-Fit is one of Scotland's richest men and is known to have donated millions to charities, emergency relief funds and good causes both at home and abroad. Through the 'Farmer Foundation', he has provided support to communities throughout the world to promote self-sufficiency and personal development.

Philanthropy – the love of mankind – is alive and kicking. Andrew Carnegie would be proud of his legacy to the world.